Dreaming in the new
Lohono Stays by Isprava launches Villa Alenteho for rent
Who said the perfect holiday home doesn't exist? Isprava's idyllic Villa Alenteho is now available for rent at Lohono Stays, just so that you can escape to Goa for that blissful holiday you have always dreamed of!
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Assagaon, surrounded by acres of lush greenery is Isprava's Villa Alenteho. And if you just happened to be looking to rent out a holiday home in Goa, this private luxury villa ticks all the right boxes.
Spread across ~500 sqm, Villa Alenteho is an ode to the Portuguese architectural style, but is rooted in conventional ways. An exquisite, fully-furnished home that boasts of custom designed handcrafted flooring, four bedrooms, a private swimming pool with a gazebo, a private garden and beautiful open sit-outs where you can enjoy delicious meals with your family. Its terrace is equipped with an outdoor bar, while the living room has a dining area that sits under a dreamy glass ceiling.
Did we mention that the villa also offers easy access to the area's prime beaches and restaurants?
Top 3 design trends for 2020
Forget crystal balls and tea leaves! Here's what the experts have to say about the top three home design trends for the new decade.
As we prepare to swing into the New Year, we can't help but look at what's in store for home design in 2020. What are the biggest trends to expect? What's 'in'? We did our research to give you intel on the three biggest home design trends for 2020, so that you can get a jump start at revamping your home.
Earthy Tones
Everyone everywhere is embracing all things earthy! Think of it as an ode to nature and an effort to bring elements of the outdoors, indoors. Tones such as olive green, muted brown, burgundy and ochre yellow are going to be ruling the design scene this New Year, be it through furniture, upholstery or even the colour of the walls.
European-inspired Furniture
This trend is slated to be huge in 2020! Expect to spot furniture pieces echoing Italian or even German design styles. This could be witnessed in the form of sloping arm-rests, metal legs and refined silhouettes, capped with an air of understated luxury.
Real Plants
Forget about those fake plants in pretty-looking pots that sit in a corner of the house and end up becoming dust-catchers. This time, it's all about real, dense greens. This design trend involves bringing home real plants, creating a living wall complete with different kinds of greens or adding tiny potted plants to occasional tables in the house, to establish a strong connection with nature.
Isprava's 2020 travel wish list
Oh, the places we'll go! We are giving you a sneak-peek into Team Isprava's travel bucket list. Here's hoping this gives you a strong case of wanderlust, too!
Romania
Southeast Europe is fast becoming a popular traveller's hub. And Romania, with its majestic spruce forests, beautiful castles and old-world charm is definitely on our radar. We can picture ourselves drinking in the beauty of the Carpathian Mountains, while munching on a papanasi – a traditional Romanian treat. While here, visits to the stunning Balea Lake, a glacier lake in the Fagaras Mountains; the city of Sibiu, complete with cobblestone streets and colourful houses; and magnificent castles the likes of Poenari Castle and Bran Castle, are a must.
Vanuatu
At Isprava, we are all adventure enthusiasts and so, a trip down to this South Pacific island, had to be on our wish list. A short flight away from Australia, this 80-odd island archipelago is teeming with natural beauty and plenty of adventure opportunities. You can go scuba diving, volcano hiking, snorkelling and of course, island-hopping. Exciting experiences here include kayaking to the Matevulu Blue Hole along crystal clear waters, enjoying a cup of kawa with the locals and walking along the shores of Champagne Beach, whose shallow waters are fizzy and bubbly with effervescence.
Guadalajara
Spanish colonial architecture. Colourful street markets. Bars, cafes and restaurants aplenty. We guess you can see why this spot made it to our wish list. For a relaxing holiday, we would love to head to Guadalajara, Mexico, fondly called 'the land of tequila and mariachi music'. First, we would swing by Hospicio Cabañas, a former orphanage and UNESCO-listed site, to take in the excellent murals. Next, we will go shopping at Tlaquepaque, which promises to throw up everything from psychedelic beaded animals to fancy blown-glass ornaments. Perhaps, we could hike down to the serene Santiago river or set up camp in Bosque La Primavera, a 35,000 hectare forest that's home to bobcats, armadillos and even the elusive pumas. You know how we will round off our trip? By visiting Tequila, the town that gave this potent spirit its name! Can you spell fun?
The Sweetest Dreams
1) What inspired you to launch Vanilla Miel? How does it identify with your individual dreams?
Isha was studying in Paris to be a pastry chef when I visited her - both of us stole away from the daily touristic activities to discover the gazillion patisseries in the city that create desserts and curate flavours better than any other! It was there that Phillipe Contocinni's Grand Cru Vanille and Pierre Herme's Infinement Vanille made both of us fall in love with the beautiful flavour of vanilla. While Isha was already pursuing a career with food, I was completing my masters in law - however always contemplating, switching over to a career in the food industry.
Amalgamating our love for all things sweet and our combined passion for art, Isha and I decided to start Vanilla Miel - a brand that would be our way to give Mumbai a little taste of our version of Paris' desserts. With one heading the kitchen team and the other creating the business backbone for Vanilla Miel, it has never been more fun doing something together!
2) What is your recipe for success? Any sweet goals for the New Year?
I think success is a long way off for us - we are only a year and a couple of months old so currently that is the one thing we do not have a recipe for. P.S. We are definitely working on perfecting one! One thing we can say for sure though is that a great team goes a long way in figuring out the road to success and we have been blessed with an amazing team! We are currently focusing on getting all the work we can - learning about the Indian market, their tastes and most importantly figuring our way around the local ingredients. We hope the New Year will bring us a lot more creatively challenging work, exciting collaborations and fabulous product innovations. We aim to create our new product line with improved flavours and work with contemporary, relevant and engaging brands.
3) What is your favourite destination in the world for desserts and why?
Without a doubt, Paris with its classic desserts. However, Melbourne comes in as a close second, with its emerging contemporary dessert scene coupled with a sophisticated coffee culture. I think Paris is probably unbeatable in terms of the volume of talent and skill in the patisserie industry - they have contemporaries like Chef Cedric Grolet & classics like Pierre Hermes all working together to create a symphony for all things sweet. Whereas, Melbourne for us is almost an experimental market that doesn't take pastry as seriously- in the best sense. It has more playful chefs like Anna Polyviou & the chocolate queen herself - Kirsten Tibbals! But we genuinely believe why pick one - Mumbai has direct flights to both cities!
4) Art plays a big role in your dreamy desserts, tell us the significance of this and art in one's life.
Art is one of the most wonderful mediums of expression & we live at a time where edible art has never been more appreciated. Ever since Isha and I were young, art has been an integral part of our youth whether it was playdough or a paintbrush. Our parents always urged us to use our imagination and we were lucky enough to have a brilliant art teacher who is probably the reason we understand and feel so passionately about expressing ourselves through paintings, sculptures (nowadays the material we most use is chocolate) & even cooking and that is probably why we are one of India’s only artisanal and art-inspired patisseries. Being students of art from a very early age our aesthetic allows or rather forces us to care as much about how our products’ look as we do about its taste, making it perfect for a special occasion. We believe that each end product should be a piece of art – elegant and sophisticated. All of our garnishes, especially our signature florals, are made with 100% couverture Belgian chocolate, each one painstakingly hand created & hand-painted.
5) Tell us one Isprava home that is the home of your dreams
It's so hard to choose but Villa Vivre is gorgeous. I think while you had us at that stunning pool & porch, the living room definitely stole our heart with its floor to ceiling windows! Also the fact that it is in North Goa - such an absolutely amazing location, definitely helps!